Across the NHL: Retired sweater numbers by franchise
Infographic showing which players have been honored by an NHL franchise by having their jersey numbers removed from circulation. Details (and Bonus) under the cut 👇
Current as of 01.01.2026
Numbers that have been removed from franchise circulation for reasons other that to honor of a former player are: Minnesota #1, Vegas #58, Seattle #32, and Florida #37 and #93.
When teams have retired a number in honor of multiple players (such as Toronto #7, King Clancy and Tim Horton) all listed twice.
The nine players who have had their numbers retired by multiple teams are: Bobby Hull (Chicago, Winnipeg*) (not to be confused with Brett Hull, St. Louis); Gordie Howe (Detroit, Hartford) (not to be confused with Mark Howe, Philly); Wayne Gretzky (LA, Edmonton; also league-wide); Ray Bourque (Boston, Colorado); Mark Messier (Edmonton, New York); Patrick Roy (Montreal, Colorado); Tim Horton (Toronto, Buffalo); "Red" Kelly (Detroit, Toronto), Scott Neidermayer (New Jersey, Anaheim).
The Atlanta Thrashers removed from circulation Dan Snyder's #37 after his death; it was not officially retired, but never re-issued before the franchise moved to Winnipeg
Bill Masterton (North Stars #19) remains the only player in NHL history to have died as a direct result of an on-ice injury.
Though Stars Neal Broten and Mike Modano played for the franchise in both Minnesota and in Dallas, only Neal Broten's #7 was retired in North Stars colors, in reference to his 12 years (out of 14) with the North Stars. (Modano spent 17 out of his 22 years with the franchise in Dallas.)
Numbers retired before franchise relocation are only listed if the number was not returned to circulation after the move.
One summer earlier, defenseman Pierre-Olivier Joseph attended the 2023 NHL Awards in support of his then Pittsburgh Penguins teammate Kris Letang. Letang was that year's recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy for "perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication" to hockey. Joseph wore a brown custom suit, the lining of which featured photos of Black sporting legends Muhammad Ali, Serena Williams, Pelé, and O'Ree.
Joseph met with O'Ree prior to the ceremony, and the hockey legend signed the lining.
"I wanted to get to know him," Joseph told Tom Gulitti of NHL.com in 2023. "He means the world to me, and just being able to walk in his path, he opened the path for all of us. Being able to see him was nerve-wracking more to meet him, I think, than being on stage."
Black Aces: Essential Stories from Hockey's Black Trailblazers by Julian McKenzie
In 1958, Willie O'Ree became the first black player to skate in an NHL game. “I knew if I fought every time somebody called me a name that I'd be in the penalty box all the time. So it was hard. It was hard at the beginning. But later on, I did gain the respect of not only the fans in the stands, but the players on the opposition.”
@PHF The PHF today announced that @TheBostonPride has named @NHLBruins legend and @HockeyHallFame member Willie O’Ree to the organization’s ownership group.
Who is Willie O’Ree? Think Hockey! Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame!
Born October 15th, 1935 in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He played for the Boston Bruins, winger. It was January 18th, 1958 when Willie O’Ree stepped onto the ice and started his professional career in the sport, he played from 1958 to 1979.
Willie O’Ree was the first Black hockey player, he was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. On June 26, 2018, it was announced that O'Ree would be inducted as a builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame later that year. In 1998, the National Hockey League approached him to be the director of youth development for its diversity task force. 1998 Willie received the Oder of Canada, the highest civilian aware for a Canadian citizen.
O'Ree was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1984. In 1998, O'Ree was working at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego, California when the National Hockey League approached him to be the director of youth development for its diversity task force. 2018 he was inducted as a builder into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
People don’t think about it, but the importance of seeing someone who is your colour, race, sex, disability or simply a reflection of yourself in a position that you that you desire as a child, helps solidifies the possibilities for that child.
For most kids playing professional hockey is a dream, as it was for Willie O’Ree.
